Drag for weeding potato plants



Feb. 26, 1935.

DRAG FOR WEEDING POTATO PLANTS Filed June 4, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l P. J. MoRK 1,992,387

Feb. 26, 1935. P. J. MORK -DRAG FOR WEEDNG POTATO PLANTS 2 Sheets-Sheet v2 Filed June 4, 1954 Patented Feb. 26, 1935 e e 1,992,387

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Dano Foa wEEmNG PorAro PLANTS Paul Johan Moi-k, Winger, Application .rune 4, 1934, serial No. 728,891

' s claims. (cias-e128) n My invention relates to agricultural implements meet and are vconnected together vat their respecand particularly to implements for cultivating tive inner and vforward ends. The connected and weeding potato fields, ends of the respective members 6 are mitered at It is well known that potato plants thrive much Such an angle ythat the Same Will firmly abut 5. better if weedsV are removed from their immediate each other andere secured togetherby` bolts` 5 vicinity and the earth 'about them is mulched soA 6a extending through suitable apertures in the as to retain moisture.4 To attain these results it members 6- as shown; y Y p isnecessary to break up any lumps of earth and Y A second pair ofv members 7, similar to the to` break crusts of earth formed following wet. members exceptthat they are Somewhat Shorter,

10.. weather. These operations must, of course, be are joined together in the SamemaIlner asthe performed without injuring the potato plants. It members-'6, are secured together by belts 7e and is. also known that weeds of `many kinds are, are disposed rearwardly of the members 6 in smothered and die if covered with earth whereas snarled relation thereto. f Potato plants will grow Vup through a covering A thirdY pair ofl members `8, similari to the A of.` earth. Y members 61 except that they are somewhat shorter 15.

For mulching the soil around potato plants a than the members '1, are'alSO J'Oned together in cultivator is not entirely satisfactory .since it the same manner as-the members 6, are securedl cannot: work the ground between lthe plants of together by bOltS 8a and are disposed rearwardly a row thereof.without-uprooting the plants. Orof the members 7.in spaced relationfthereto.

2o. dinary field drags can-not. be used because they' A pail' 0f bare-01' beaune'V 9 are provided G0 20 will damage theplants. j rigidly connect togetherV the V-shaped structures lt is. an object of `my invention to provi e an reepeetively comprising the members 5', the memimplement capable of use, to thoroughly break( bers 'Tand the members 8. One of the beams up `the earth between potato plants of a row 9i is placed' in such a position that it restsupon 2s thereof without causing injury tothe plants. Y the upper sides 0f the medial portiensrrof the 25 Another object is to provide such animplef` respective members 6, 7 aind8 which project in ment which is capableof use in. covering weeds afcommon direction. VThe otherv beam 9 is simand potato. plants. with eartnwithout iniuinns-l ilerly placed 0n the respective members 6, 7 the. plants. Y `Y l l Y and 8 which projectin the other direction. The

; Still another object is to produce such an'i'mbeams 9 are secured to the members 6,7 and 8 3o plantent.` which may be towed by and used in `by means of bolts 9a. The members-6, 7 andl 8 conjunction with a cultivator. .l l are 'sofnotched or cutaway at the points where These. andv other objects and `advantages of theyl are engaged byl the beams 9 that the beams the invention willrbe more fully set forth in the will rest firmly thereon and thatfeach of the v following description made in connection with membersA 6, 7 and 8 will" extend forwardly and 35 the. accompanying drawings, in which likeV referinwardly.V and somewhatupwardly from its free ence charactersrefer to. similar parts throughout end to the point of attachment" thereof to its ther several views, and in wh."l'cl i:V Companion member. l

Fig. 1 is a topvi'ew of my drag; A series of soi-1y working spikes 10;y are .carried- 40 2v is a side view; y by each of the `members,6, 7 and 8 in suitably so Fig. 3Y is a section taken along the line 3 4! located apertures through these' members. The of: Fig. 2: as indicated by the arrows; Y apertures are-so proportioned anddisposed that Fig, 4,15: a; side view of a. cultivator'with myv thel spikes 10 `are tightly wedged therein and drag connected in operative relation thereto, and project downwardly and somewhat rearwardly.

Fig- 5V isla top` view. As shown in the drawings each of the `members 6 45 4 Referring'to thedrawings, mypotato. weeding has one spike l0.' locatedolosely adjacent its indrag` includes a frame comprising several reare ner end, another adjacent its outer end anda' wardlydiverging and rearwardly sloping vthirdtlocated intermediate the -flrst two. "One shaped frame units rigidly connected Vtogether Spike is retainedin notches in the"` respective 50.v by sui-table; bars. or beams. The v'shapedl unitsY members 7rwh-ich cooperate to forman aperture 50y and the beams may be constructedr of Vwood orv at the joint between the respective members 7. other suitable material and may besecuredr to-` Aspike I0 is located in the medial portion of gether by bolts or other fastening means. each of-the members 7 andi another spike is lo- Apair `of rearwardly diverging `and slightly cated in the outer end. Each of the members 8 551 downwardly sloping wing-like trame members 6 has l a spike located inits1 outer end andanother 56 is located a short distance outwardly of its inner end.

' vThe various ones of the spikes 10 are so adjusted in position that the points of the spikes nearest the longitudinal center line of the frame are highest, the points farthest from the center line are lowest and the intermediate points are at intermediate heights as best shown in Fig. 3.

Y The spike located at the joint between the above itwill be noted that thepoints or lower ends of the respective spikes 10 carried .by any one of the pairs of wing-like members 6, 7 or 8 are disposed in a rearwardly 'diverging V formation lying ,in a plane which slopes downwardly toward the rear of the frame. All of the v formations Vare Vdisposed at substantially the same level so that the respective points ofthe spikes of all' ofthe series thereof lie on the side surfaces of an isosceles triangular prism having a base parallel to the ground and an upper ridge extending centrally from front to rear of the frame. At the Vforward end of the frame atow-line attachment fitting 12 consisting of a pair `of rings and attachmentarms is bolted to the members 6 at their inner .ends as shown. Screw veyes 13 for attachment of lifting ropes are mounted on the respective beams 9 at the points of intersectiondofthe beams with lthe'framemembers 7. Screw-eyes 14 for attachment of guide ropes are mounted on the respective beams 9 at their intersections with the members 8. Y z

My implement is connected with a cultivator in operative relation thereto as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and as-will be described. In the drawings a conventional-form of cultivator is shown having wheels WV supported by the ground G, a frame F, adraft pole VP, a loop L on the forward end of 'thedraft pole Pand ardouble-tree T. 4 My potato weeding drag isplaced beneath the each of the screw-eyes 13 and at the other of its ends to the outer end of a corresponding one of the lifting arms 17. The two operating arms 17a are rconnected together at their outer ends by a long bolt 17h. An operatingrope 19 is tied to the medial portion of the bolt 1'7b and extends rearwardly therefrom. Pulling the operating rope 19 rearwardly will obviously raise the implement from the operative position thereof shown in the drawings.` When the implement is in its raised any part of the cultivator which may be convenient.

A guide rope 240 iswsecured atone endthereof to each of the screw-eyes Y14 and extends rearwardly, outwardly and upwardly therefrom. The remaining end of each of the guide ropes 20 is tied to a suitable portion of the frame F ofthe cultivator. Slack is left in each of the guide ropes 20 so that the potato weeding drag can work back and forth transversely of the cultivator within relatively wide Vlimits determined by the length of the ropes 20.

In normal use of my potato: weeding drag, the same, connected as above described. is towed along a row of potato plants'in straddling relation thereto. The spikes 1Q 1break up and mulch the earth at the sides of the row of plants and between the individual plants of the row.V Weeds o fmany varieties, whenengaged bythe spikes 10,

are broken on thereby but potato,l plants are suciently tough to deflect the drag to one side or the other instead of being damaged thereby. Easy deflection of the drag Yby the plants is greatly facilitated in two ways. First, the-light Vweight construction of the drag renders itrelatively easy to deflect. Second, theconsiderable length of thevtow rope 15 substantially eliminates the resistance to deflection which wouldV exist if the drag were connected to a non-deflectable towing means by a relatively short tow rope'.

As the drag is towed along arow ofpotato plants both the weedsand the potato plants may be covered with earth. Potato vines will grow up through the covering of earth whereas many kinds of weeds willr be smothered bythe earth and will die.

viously described, the device, Ywhen 'drawn along arow of ,plantsin straddling relation thereto,

tends to hill up the earth around the plants toV thoroughly surround the roots thereof so as toi around.

.Obviously, the cultivator with which my device is usedmay or may notlhave'cultivator shovels mounted thereonin operative position.. Also, it should be apparent that my device may be towed behinda cultivator if desired or maybe towed by an implementor avehicle other than acultivator.- Also, my device may be used in connection with plants. Y

It is lapparentthat I have invented a novel, rugged, inexpensive and 'effective form of potato weeding drag capable of killing weeds and mulching the soil immediately adjacentv potato plants without causing damage to the plants! It will, of course, be understood thatvarious changes may be-made inthe form, details, arrangement and proportions4 of the parts, without departing from the scopeof my invention, which, generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying outY the'objects above set forth, and in the novel parts and combinations Vof parts disclosed and deined in the appended claims.

many plants other than potato 1. A weeding drag comprising, a iframe and a multiplicity of ground working tools of equal length secured to said frame and projecting downwardly therefrom, said frame beingso shaped that the lowerl ends of said tools are located on the side surfaces of anv isosceles .triangular prism having a base parallel to the ground, and an upper ridge extending centrally from front to` rear of saidframe. y U...

i 2. A weedingdragcomprising, a frame and a multiplicity of soil working spikessecured to said frame and projecting downwardly and somewhat rearwardly therefrom, the lower ends of said spikes being located on the side surfaces of anl `vertex of the V.

4. The structure deiined in claim 3 and the vertices of the respective V formations being disposed at substantially the same level.`

5. A weeding drag comprising, a frame and at least two spaced Series of spaced soil Working spikes of which the respective spikes are secured to said frame and extend downwardly therefrom with a slight inclination rearwardly, the lower ends of the respective spikes of each series being disposed in a rearwardly diverging and rearwardly and downwardly sloping V-shaped formation.

6. A potato weeding drag comprising, a frame, means for towing said frame, a greatly elongated element flexibly connecting said frame to said towing means and at least two spaced series or spaced soil working spikes secured to said frame,

each of said spikes extending downwardly and somewhat rearwardly from said frame and the respective spikes of each series beingdisposed in a rearwardly diverging and rearwardly and downwardly sloping V-shaped formation. K

7. A potato weeding drag comprising, a frame adapted to be towed over the ground, said frame including pairs of rearwardly diverging and somewhat rearwardly sloping wing-like members, and a series of spaced, soil-working spikes carried by and projecting substantially downwardly from each of said Wing-like members, the lower ends of the respective spikes of each series'being disposed in an outwardly, rearwardly and somewhat downwardly sloping V formation.

8. A weeding drag comprising a frame includ-` ing a plurality of spaced rearwardly and somewhat downwardly diverging V-shaped members having their respective vertices disposed substantially on a horizontal line extending from front to rear of said drag, beams rigidly connecting said members, and a multiplicity of substantially identical soil working elements, some of said elements being mounted in spaced relation to each other on each of said members to extend downwardly and somewhat rearwardly therefrom in respective vertical planes parallel to said line whereby the lower ends of said elements will lie on the side faces of an isosceles triangular prism extending parallel to said line.

PAUL J OHANMORK. 

